Rural Design Advice for Individual Houses

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   Rural Design Advice for Individual Houses in the Countryside Limerick County Council July 2012

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   Rural Design Advice for Individual Houses in the Countryside: Limerick County First Publication May 2007 Updated July 2012 Limerick County Council County Hall Dooradoyle County Limerick 49 O’Connell Street, Limerick All sketches and illustrations by Jon Elliott All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced in any form (including by storage in any retrieval system), transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, or adapted without the written permission of the authors and publishers.

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   Page C o u n t y L i m e r i c k : R u r a l D e s i g n A d v i c e f o r I n d i v i d u a l H o u s e s i n t h e C o u n t r y s i d e C O N T E N T S 1. Introduction 1 Purpose of the Design Advice 2 Recent Trends 3 Structure of the Design Advice 4 2. Evolution of the Country House 5 Learning from the Past 6 Castles and Fortified Houses 7 Classical Houses 8 Country Houses 9 Vernacular Cottages 10 Public Rural Housing 10 Main Features of the Traditional House 11 Modern House Types 12 3. Selecting the Site 13 Landscape Character 14 Site Location 20 Using Natural Features 21 Existing Development Pattern 22 Roads and Infrastructure 24 Site Orientation 25 Site Selection Checklist 26 4. Planning the Site 27 Context 28 General Design Principles 29 Scale, Building Line and Set-back 30 Building Form and Proportion 31 Topography 33 Building Orientation 34 Sustainable Site Planning 34 Vehicle Access and Parking 41 Boundaries 42 Garden Design 43 Site Planning Checklist 44 5. Designing the House 45 Different Approaches 46 Building Form Checklist 50 Building Elements 51 Building Conversions 58 6. Designing with the Planning System 61 Considering an Application 62 Submitting an Application 62 Planning Application Drawings 63 Appendix 1: Recommended Planting Types Appendix 2: Building Regulations Appendix 3: Design Statement

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   C o u n t y L i m e r i c k : R u r a l D e s i g n A d v i c e f o r I n d i v i d u a l H o u s e s i n t h e C o u n t r y s i d e 1. I N T R O D U C T I O N 1. 1. Purpose of the Design Advice Main Objectives of the Design Advice Recent Trends Structure of the Design Advice Introduction

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   C o u n t y L i m e r i c k : R u r a l D e s i g n A d v i c e f o r I n d i v i d u a l H o u s e s i n t h e C o u n t r y s i d e 2. I N T R O D U C T I O N1. Purpose of the Design Advice This Design Advice is intended to be a working document that provides a common source of information and guidance for all those involved with building individual (‘one-off’) houses in the countryside. It does not set out a detailed account of all relevant building types and is not intended as a source of ready-made design solutions. Instead, the Design Advice describes a range of general approaches and principles concerning the planning and design of one-off houses in the countryside that the Council regard as necessary to consider in formulating specific design proposals. The main emphasis of the Design Advice is to reinforce the distinctive local qualities of the County. It works on the basis that new development in the countryside should share some of the characteristics that define the locality in which it is located. It should be clear that the new house has appropriate features in common with buildings and landscapes of a similar kind in the surrounding area. The Design Advice also recognises that it is necessary to reinvent the country house and develop a new rural architecture for the 21st century, rather than simply remodelling or recreating the methods and manners of the past. Applicants for planning permission shall submit a design statement, which explains why a particular design solution is considered the most suitable for a particular site (see appendix 3) and show how they have given due consideration to the objectives and principles set out in the Design Advice in the formulation of proposed design. Main Objectives of this Design Guide  To stimulate debate about one-off house designs;  To foster greater consistency in planning decisionmaking;  To inform and inspire applicants, builders, designers and planners; and  To help conserve and enhance the landscape and environment in County Limerick. The Design Advice should be read in conjunction with the provisions of the current Limerick County Development Plan. 2. 3. 4. 1.

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   C o u n t y L i m e r i c k : R u r a l D e s i g n A d v i c e f o r I n d i v i d u a l H o u s e s i n t h e C o u n t r y s i d e 3. I N T R O D U C T I O N 1. Recent Trends In recent years there has been an unprecedented trend towards development of one-off housing throughout rural Ireland. Between 2007 and 2011 planning permission was granted for 51824 one off houses in the Country. In County Limerick approximately 1,900 one-off houses were granted planning permission in the open countryside between 2007 and 2011. The relatively high proportion of population living in the countryside, combined with a dispersed settlement pattern, make buildings a pervasive element of the County’s landscape. Whereas the form, materials and construction methods of older buildings tended to reflect the adaptation of rural society to its varied environments and particular One-Off Rural Houses – Permissions Granted in County Limerick 2007-2011 economic and social structures. Newer buildings reflect the rapid pace of recent social change, usually departing from earlier building forms and materials and often lacking local distinctiveness. The demand for one-off houses will continue, and it is increasingly recognised that high quality design and protection of natural resources are essential to successfully integrating such housing within the landscapes of County Limerick.

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   C o u n t y L i m e r i c k : R u r a l D e s i g n A d v i c e f o r I n d i v i d u a l H o u s e s i n t h e C o u n t r y s i d e 4. I N T R O D U C T I O N1. Structure of the Design Advice Following this Introduction, Section 2 of the Design Advice presents a brief overview of the evolution of different house types in County Limerick, from the medieval tower house through to the modern bungalow. Section 3 provides guidance on the considerations for selecting a suitable site for potential development and, in particular, on fully understanding the landscape context. Section 4 is concerned with the principles of acceptable site layout, including the importance of sustainable site planning and energy efficiency. Section 5 provides guidance on designing the main elements of the house, and Section 6 presents information required for making a Planning Application. The Appendices provide further technical information to help inform and guide the planning application process. Recently constructed one-off rural houses The Local Planning Authority will promote increased awareness of good quality design in the countryside by:  Providing lists of good local architects and designers with examples to illustrate their work.  Holding workshops and seminars for agents specifically involved with one-off housing in the countryside.  Making this Design Advice available to all those interested in the planning and design of one-off houses (as a purchasable document or to view on the Council web site).  Organising public displays that illustrate local examples of successful siting and design.  Providing detailed guidance at the pre-application stage to ensure that potential applicants are aware of the appropriate policies, and less likely to submit proposals that may be refused.  Operating a new Design Award Scheme, with a specific category for ‘Best new single house in the countryside’.  Requiring the submission of a design statement with all planning applications, to explain how the proposed design is suitable for the proposed site (see appendix 3). 5. 6.

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   C o u n t y L i m e r i c k : R u r a l D e s i g n A d v i c e f o r I n d i v i d u a l H o u s e s i n t h e C o u n t r y s i d e 5. E V O L U T I O N O F T H E C O U N T R Y H O U S E 2. 2. Learning from the Past Castles and Fortified Houses Classical Houses Country Houses Vernacular Cottages Public Rural Housing Main Features of the Traditional House Modern House Types Evolution of the Country House

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    C o u n t y L i m e r i c k : R u r a l D e s i g n A d v i c e f o r I n d i v i d u a l H o u s e s i n t h e C o u n t r y s i d e 6. E V O L U T I O N O F T H E C O U N T R Y H O U S E2. Learning from the Past In recent times the countryside has progressively become a more attractive place in which to live. With the decline in agricultural employment has come a new type of rural dweller, with particular requirements and a new form of building. By far the greatest pressure for one-off housing in the countryside is now urban-generated. The traditional and classical models that characterised the landscape up to fifty years or so ago have been replaced by different stylistic elements that do not always respond positively to their rural context. The character of rural County Limerick is defined by its different landscapes containing a range of traditional buildings. For generations people who lived in the countryside were directly related to or involved in rural activities. This was reflected in the design of rural houses, dictated by the requirements of shelter, access, drainage, available materials and skills, as well as historical and cultural influences. The traditional buildings of the County tend to be very simple, and built of a limited range of locally available natural materials. Many were only one room deep, giving a narrow rectangular plan form which could be extended sequentially. The addition of byres and ancillary buildings, with lean-to and split level roofs, onto the gable ends of single-storey houses was common, adding variety and visual interest to the simple rectangular form. Traditional two-storey houses were of simple classical proportions, with symmetrical façade and plan layout, translated from the grand country house through to the more humble farmhouse. Wherever possible, the design of new houses in the countryside should respect and build upon this strong tradition, while interpreting present domestic needs in a contemporary way that continues to reinforce the built heritage of the County. The new country house is a response to a revitalised passion for countryside living Traditional domestic architecture can be simply divided into two main types, reflecting the circumstances and social divisions of history – the vernacular cottage descended from medieval and pre-historic roots, and the ‘Classical’ house that emulated the principles of the European Renaissance. The formal floor plan, use of materials, white walls, regular windows, pitched roofs, simple details and economic use of scarce resources gives a sense of continuity between the smallest cottage and largest country house. 7. 8.

Source Limerick City and County Council: Rural Design Advice for Individual Houses (July 2012) · Licence the publisher's termsText read from the publisher’s PDF; tables, maps and drawings do not survive as text, and page numbers are the PDF’s (its first page is 1). Check the original before relying on a passage.